Human Trafficking in [Serbia , Montenegro Street Children in [Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Serbia, Montenegro
& Kosovo In the first ten years of the 21st
Century - 2000 to 2009
Serbia is a source, transit, and destination
country for men, women, and girls trafficked internationally and within the
country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor …
Children, mostly Roma, continued to be trafficked for the purpose of sexual
exploitation, forced marriage, or forced street begging. The majority of
identified victims in 2008 were Serbian women and girls trafficked for the
purpose of sexual exploitation; over half were children. There was an
increase in cases of trafficking for forced labor in 2008. - U.S. State
Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] Montenegro is primarily a transit country for
the trafficking of women and girls from Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Albania,
and Kosovo to Western Europe for the purpose of commercial sexual
exploitation. There have been reported cases of forced labor in the
construction industry. There is anecdotal evidence that foreign children,
mainly Roma, are also trafficked through Montenegro for the purpose of forced
begging. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] Kosovo is a source, transit, and
destination country for women and children trafficked across national borders
for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Kosovo women and children
are also trafficked within Kosovo for the same purpose. NGOs reported that
child trafficking, particularly from Roma communities, for the purpose of
forced begging, was an increasing problem. Most foreign victims are young
women from Eastern Europe subjected to forced prostitution. Kosovo victims
are also trafficked to countries throughout Europe including Macedonia, Italy,
and Albania. Kosovo residents, including three children, made up the majority
of identified trafficking victims in 2008. Police report that internal
trafficking involving Kosovo Serbs may also occur in north Kosovo, a
Serb-majority region that presents particular security challenges. - U.S.
State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009
[full report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate
the situation in Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. Some of these links may lead to websites
that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false. No
attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content. *** FEATURED
ARTICLES *** Shameful
Investigation Into Sex-Trafficking Case The government of Montenegro must
re-open as a matter of priority a high-profile sex-trafficking case in which Montenegrin
politicians, judges, police and civil servants are implicated, Amnesty
International said in a letter to the Minister of the Interior of Montenegro.
The Moldovan woman in the centre of the case alleges that Montenegrin
politicians, judges, police and civil servants had tortured and raped her and
other East European women who like her had been trafficked and held as
sex-slaves. A
Legal Analysis of Trafficking in Persons Cases in Kosovo - October 2007 [PDF] [page 3] EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - The problem of trafficking in
human beings (“trafficking”) continues to be a major human rights concern in
Kosovo. In cases monitored by the OSCE,
victims did not receive the basic guarantees provided by law, and frequently
faced prosecution or the threat of prosecution. Witness protection measures
were rarely used, despite the regular intimidation of victims. Moreover,
judges and prosecutors often failed to understand the legal definition of the
crime of trafficking, or permit perpetrators to go unpunished. In summary, the OSCE observed that
authorities involved in the investigation and prosecution of alleged
traffickers fail to adopt a victim-centred
approach, or to ensure that perpetrators face justice. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – Underage
girls were among those trafficked for sexual exploitation. In November
authorities rescued a 14-year-old girl at the Slovenian border from an
international trafficking ring attempting to take her to the While Traffickers recruited victims
through enticements including advertisements for escorts, marriage offers,
and offers of employment. Women often went to work as prostitutes knowingly
and only later became trafficking victims. In many cases international
organized crime networks recruited, transported, sold, and controlled
victims. The main points in KPS
rescues 2 human trafficking victims “Thanks to cooperation from
citizens, members of the anti-human trafficking unit discovered two females from
Kosovo in a hotel basement on Friday, that had been locked
up there against their will,” announced the Peć
Regional Police. A preliminary investigation has
revealed that the two girls, who are of Albanian ethnicity, were locked up
there for over two months. A
Legal Analysis of Trafficking in Persons Cases in Kosovo - October 2007 [PDF] [page 3] EXECUTIVE SUMMARY - The problem of trafficking in
human beings (“trafficking”) continues to be a major human rights concern in
Kosovo. In cases monitored by the OSCE,
victims did not receive the basic guarantees provided by law, and frequently
faced prosecution or the threat of prosecution. Witness protection measures
were rarely used, despite the regular intimidation of victims. Moreover,
judges and prosecutors often failed to understand the legal definition of the
crime of trafficking, or permit perpetrators to go unpunished. In summary, the OSCE observed that
authorities involved in the investigation and prosecution of alleged
traffickers fail to adopt a victim-centred
approach, or to ensure that perpetrators face justice. Amnesty
International on human rights in Serbia and Kosovo WHAT
ACTION WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM THE EU’S SIDE TO TACKLE HUMAN-RIGHTS
ISSUES THAT ALSO CONCERN THE UNION ITSELF, SUCH AS HUMAN TRAFFICKING? With respect to trafficking, we
urge the EU to assist the Kosovo authorities in implementing the Kosovo
Action Plan on Trafficking, to ensure the protection of the rights of
trafficked persons, including to assistance and other forms of support, in
compliance with the Council of Europe Convention on Action against
Trafficking in Human Beings. Over 120.000 human trafficking victims pass via Balkan a
year www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=48579&NrIssue=226&NrSection=20 At one
time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]
More than 120.000 women and
children, victims of human trafficking, pass through the Balkan region per
year before heading to the EU member-countries, Serbian government said. "The number of trafficked children rose
from 10 to 56 percent, and lately up to 60 percent of identified victims of
human trafficking are Serbian citizens," said Serbian Minister of Labor,
Employment & Social Welfare Slobodan Lalovic. Human
trafficking recovery center opens in Belgrade www.b92.net/eng/news/comments.php?nav_id=36789 The center's
program was developed according to the demands and experiences of
victims, in order to offer help to abused women and enable them to return to
their normal lives and reintegrate into society. The route to hell www.romani-online.co.uk/stiri/arhiva-stiri/diverse/119-diverse/11191-the-route-to-hell.html Reports of women and girls being
trafficked into Kosovo began to emerge within months of the United Nations
mission in Kosovo and the NATO peacekeepers arriving in July 1999. While
writing this book I travelled to Kosovo, and found
it an intimidating place to research the subject of trafficking. People were
guarded with information, and it is the only place I have ever been
threatened by a police officer for asking questions about human trafficking -
he said that he could have me detained if he wanted to. Human
trafficking in Vojvodina The victims are most commonly
women from poor families who were subjected to violence within their
families. Their documents are taken away and many times they are threatened
to be killed or thrown into the Danube River where no one will find them. In this report, Amnesty
International attempts to add to the growing understanding of trafficking as
an abuse of human rights, not least the right to physical and mental
integrity, and of the right to life, liberty and security of the person. The report documents abuses
perpetrated against women and girls in Kosovo, including abduction, deprivation
of liberty and denial of freedom of movement, often combined with other
restrictions, including the withdrawal of travel or identity documents. The
organization also finds that women and girls have been subjected to torture
and ill-treatment, including psychological threats, beatings and rape. Co-operation
to Stop Sex Traffic The Swedish police have begun working
with their counterparts in Kosovo to stop a gang responsible for sex
trafficking. The co-operation follows
the case of a 17-year-old girl kidnapped from Kosovo and brought to Albanians
Given 10 To 12 Years In Jail For Human Trafficking Singh said the investigation found
out that two female victims from 13 Arrests in 10 Days on Human Trafficking Charges see.oneworld.net/article/view/104140/1/3187 In one case, after being forced
into prostitution, the rescued victim had also been sold for marriage: 4
suspects involved in the case were arrested. In another case, the victim had
been forced into prostitution by her boyfriend who brutally abused her. Human Trafficking Trial in Bijelo
Polje see.oneworld.net/article/view/108610/1/ The prosecution, represented by
the Deputy State Prosecutor Lepa Medenica, accused Licina of
holding forcibly Milica Novakovic
from Pozega at his “ Balkans
Urged To Curb Trafficking Countries in Initiative
to Help Fight Human Trafficking in Three SEE Countries Shameful
Investigation Into Sex-Trafficking Case The government of Montenegro must
re-open as a matter of priority a high-profile sex-trafficking case in which
Montenegrin politicians, judges, police and civil servants are implicated,
Amnesty International said in a letter to the Minister of the Interior of
Montenegro. The Moldovan woman in the centre of the case alleges that
Montenegrin politicians, judges, police and civil servants had tortured and
raped her and other East European women who like her had been trafficked and
held as sex-slaves. For Sale Age 3 www.tedgunderson.com/HeadlinesSexualAbuse/Feb_%2019,%202001%20Atty_%20Buffardi%20Letter%20to%20Colin%20Powell%20Re_%20Riconosciuto.htm The contents of this article had
appeared under a different title and may possibly still be accessible [here] The children, some as young as
three, are snatched from their parents and sold for as little as £300. Some
are feared to have been taken as child sex slaves. Others are put up for
illegal adoptions by couples, including Britons, desperate to start a
family. These three youngsters all
live at a former United Nations refugee camp in Montenegro, part of the old
Yugoslavia. Government officials in sex trafficking ring arrested www.prisonplanet.com/government_officials_in_sex_trafficking_ring_arrested.html www.tedgunderson.com/HeadlinesSexualAbuse/Government%20officials%20in%20sex%20trafficking%20ring%20arrested.htm The arrests are only a small part
of the scandal, according to sources in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica. It is an open secret in the Balkans that
people-trafficking rings run through Montenegro to Bosnia and Kosovo, with
profits from the dirty trade reaching millions of euros. The sex-slave routes lead to Italy
and Britain, where at least 1,400 women, mainly from eastern Europe, are
tricked into prostitution each year. The trade is highly lucrative for the
men who "own" them; in London, women can bring in about £100,000 a
year for their pimps. Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe [PDF] [page
78] 1.2. TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN - Practically no
information exists on the trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of
children. There are some reports that
Roma girls and children from FRY are sold to Freedom
House Country Report Serbia - Political Rights: 3 Civil Liberties: 2 Status: Free Freedom House Country Report Montngr - Political Rights: 3 Civil Liberties: 3 Status: Partly Free Freedom
House Country Report Kosovo - Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 5 Status: Not Free Human Rights Overview
by Human Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide Stop Violence Against Women – Country Page U.S. Library of Congress
- Country Study About 30 Cases of People Traffkicking
Reported in www.mfa.gov.yu/Bilteni/Engleski/b040804_e.html#N2 The campaign against the
trafficking of children was initiated six month ago by non-governmental
organization Beosupport ( Since the deployment in July 1999
of an international peacekeeping force (KFOR) and the establishment of the
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) civilian
administration, Kosovo(6) has become a major destination country for women
and girls trafficked into forced prostitution. Women are trafficked into
Kosovo predominantly from Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine, the majority of them
via Serbia. At the same time, increasing numbers of local women and girls are
being internally trafficked, and trafficked out of Kosovo. Facts
and figures on trafficking of women and girls for forced prostitution in
Kosovo In 2002, it was reported that 36
percent of the trafficked women and girls in Kosovo were denied any medical
care, while only ten percent were provided with regular health care; the
majority of trafficked women were forced to have unprotected sex. To date, no trafficked women or girls have
obtained reparations for the physical, emotional and psychological damage
they have suffered as a result of these abuses of their human rights. UN Kosovo police arrested for sex trafficking www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=12681 At one time
this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] In the meantime, Amnesty
International (AI) says the presence of international peacekeepers in Kosovo
has been fuelling the sexual exploitation of women and encouraging
trafficking. The human rights group
claims that UN and NATO troops in the region are using the trafficked women
and girls for sex, and that some have been involved in trafficking
itself. Girls as young as 11 from
Eastern European countries are being sold into sex slavery, according to
Amnesty International. The group’s 2004 yearly report -
based on interviews with women and girls who have been trafficked from
countries such as Moldova, Bulgaria, and Ukraine to service Kosovo’s sex
industry - says that sex victims are moved illegally across borders and sold
in “trading houses” where they are sometimes drugged and “broken in” before
being sold from one trafficker to another for prices ranging from €50 to
€3,500. www.civilitasresearch.org/publications/view_article.cfm?article_id=26 However, the main difficulty in dealing
with the issue is the involvement of many senior officials who are supposed
to curtail illegal activities in the first place. This high level involvement
often serves to deter those officials who would otherwise be willing to take
a stronger stand. Sex
Slavery Scandal Rattles Montenegro Svetlana has a secret -- one so
dark and lurid, it has scandalized this usually unflappable corner of the
Balkans. It's not the story of how she
ended up in sexual slavery after being lured to Montenegro with the promise
of a decent job. Nor is it the
agonizing tale of how she was locked up in a brothel for three years and
toyed with by clients who abused her so savagely they broke bones and scarred
her genitals with cigarette burns.
Svetlana's unsettling secret is the identities of those clients -- a
damning account she gave police that implicated prominent Montenegrin
officials in the sex trade. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Serbia , Montenegro Street Children in [Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo] [other countries]